About UPGRADE Dining

Mission

Our mission is simple. Get universities to replace 50 percent of their animal-based options with plant-based options by 2030. Our approach is customized to each university. We recognize that each university operates with its own interests and constraints. By aligning with the priorities of the university, we make a compelling case for why shifting to plant-based options is in their best interests, including saving on costs, increasing student satisfaction, reducing social and environmental harm, and expanding culinary innovation.

Theory of Change

As students and paying customers at these universities, we are uniquely positioned to provide the demand-side push that is needed to bring more plant-based options to universities. By launching a strategically-coordinated public pressure campaign, we can kickstart a conversation at US universities that hasn’t been had before (at scale). With the backing of large coalitions of students and organizations, we aim to set customized implementation plans that involve working with our partners to add alt proteins into daily menus, create cost-effective default interventions, and undergo necessary training to facilitate a plant-based transition.

We’ve partnered with nearly 30 plant-based and alternative protein companies to organize tasting events at universities and offer discounted packages for adding products. The data we gather will be useful for our implementation partners when engaging in conversations with food service providers, since it will likely show that there is widespread favorability towards these products among a diverse array of students.

Impact

Our campaign is targeted at ten campuses that we have assessed as ideal fits based on a number of factors:

• High potential for impact
• Dining team receptiveness to plant-based foods
• Student favorability of plant-based foods
• Schools which are independent food service operators

These schools include Harvard University, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, Cornell University, UCLA, Rice University, Tufts University, UC Berkeley, Princeton University, and the University of Michigan. By the end of 2025, we hope to accomplish the following goals: